JEDDAH, 27 October 2006 — Safety patrol units, which are part of the Jeddah Fire Department, has warned 14 business premises, including gas stations, warehouses, shopping centers and entertainment places, about violating safety regulations by locking emergency doors to use as storage space.
The Fire Department launched a massive inspection program and visited over 1,000 premises in the north and south of Jeddah. The checks coincided with the start of the Eid celebration.
Brig. Gen. Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, manager of the Jeddah Fire Department, said, “The warnings came after finding that many were violating major safety procedures like chaining emergency exits or not keeping fire extinguishers.”
The campaign also included furnished apartment buildings, hotels, commercial centers, building sites and amusement parks, which are frequented by visitors during the Eid holidays. The Fire Department also demanded from the management at amusement parks to provide a maintenance technician and more safety guards to control accidents when they happen.
With an aim of dealing with any potential danger, the Fire Department also deployed 16 fire engines at crowded locations, commercial centers and amusement parks in the duration of the Eid holidays. Forty-two fully equipped patrol units were also deployed at activity locations and the Corniche area.
The Fire Department plans to launch an awareness campaign to teach establishment owners about safety in the areas where there are large density of people. The campaign will also target women to educate them about safety inside their homes.
The manager of the Traffic Department said that the department target to teach the public about the basic understanding of safety and how to deal with accidents when they happen at home. He said that the majority of accidents happen as a result of electric short circuit.
Al-Ghamdi urged people to be careful when they move from one area to another while at the beach and to avoid overcrowding. The Fire Department fear overcrowding near entertainment locations, which results in accidents that could lead to death.
